New poll shows support for gun control at a five-year high

Support for stricter gun control measures has reached a five-year high in the aftermath of the Connecticut school massacre, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released today.

Fifty-four percent of Americans back new controls on guns — and 59 percent back curbs on the high-capacity ammunition clips used in many of the recent shooting rampages. Still, the overall support for tighter restrictions has increased only modestly in recent years.

Two major differences are evident in the new polling. Partisan and ideological gaps appear to be narrowing on some gun issues, including high-capacity ammunition clips. And most Americans now say that the Newtown massacre reflects broader problems in society rather than an isolated act of a troubled person.

Another shift: Gun control supporters now have more intensity than opponents of stricter controls. Forty-four percent of Americans say they “strongly” favor stricter action while 32 percent say they oppose new controls “strongly.” The gap more than doubles when Americans are asked whether they’d ban high-capacity clips: 47 percent strongly favor such a ban while 29 percent strongly oppose it.

Support for stricter gun control peaked at 67 percent in 1999 and 2000 but diminished significantly after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

On specific measures, 52 percent favor banning semi-automatic handguns (it’s been 48 and 55 percent in previous polls) and 59 percent support banning high-capacity clips that carry more than 10 bullets (it was a similar 57 percent in early 2011, after the Tucson shootings). Banning the sale of handguns entirely (except for law enforcement) remains broadly unpopular, with 71 percent opposed, numerically a new high in results since 1999.

When it comes to banning handguns, the “intensity” factor remains with Second Amendment backers. Overall, 56 percent of Americans say they would “strongly” oppose a handgun ban. Twenty percent strongly favor it.